Sacrifice
by HB rules
Summary: Spoilers for the finale! An alternate ending where things don't end quite as happily as they could for Regina.


Regina slowly felt the world around her becoming clearer. She could feel the ground beneath her, and was somewhat relieved that it was the cold hard cement of Storybrooke's main road and not the leafy bed which she had thought would be her final resting place. As she opened her eyes, she was alarmed by the brightness of the sun but as the warmth bathed her skin a small smile appeared on her lips. They had made it. They were home.

As her surroundings became clearer she saw her son standing over her and felt her heart begin to thump hard against her chest.

'Henry' she breathed, regretting every time she had denied him his name in favour of 'kid' back in the Enchanted Forest. It was the name she had given to him, a bond that connected them both and it felt right to say it once again as his mother.

Remembering her injuries, she looked down at herself and was relieved to see there was not a scratch upon her. Although she felt a little disoriented from the journey Regina considered how lucky she was to be alive and how grateful she was for it. Once again she had almost lost the things that meant the most to her, Henry and Robin, and now that she remembered everything she wanted nothing more than to remain with them forever.

Getting quickly to her feet and ignoring a sudden dizziness that came over her at the movement she turned to take her son in her arms.

'You did it,' she said proudly, squeezing him as tightly as she could.

'No Mom,' Henry answered as he released her from the embrace and took her arms, 'we did.'

Regina smiled. Henry had seen her as a hero, and used her goodness to defeat Isaac. He saw her as someone to look up to and not the Evil Queen she had once been, and that meant more to her than he would ever know. A few years ago, when he had first started to pull away from her after he found out that he was adopted, she had been terrified of what would happen if he ever learned the truth. She thought that he would never be able to look past the person she had been in favour of the person she wanted to be, could be; but they had come a long way since then. She was glad that she had been honest with him, even if it had taken a push in the right direction, and now she felt as though she finally deserved to have him in her life.

Regina turned as she heard footfall behind her and hardly had time to register the presence of the outlaw before he swept her into his arms. She couldn't stop herself from smiling, holding onto him as if they had been apart for centuries and feeling that finally, after everything they had been through, they could be together. Henry ran over to Emma and they embraced briefly, before Emma ran off to find Killian.

'I can't believe I almost lost you again,' Robin whispered, kissing her hair lightly and holding onto her tighter.

'Someone, or something, clearly wants to keep us apart,' mumbled Regina. Robin pulled back, still holding her firmly but gently by the shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes.

'I won't let that happen,' he promised, 'not anymore. I've come so close to being without you far too many times and each time I feel my heart break in two. I love you, Regina. I should have said it a hundred times before, and I hope you will forgive me.'

Regina broke into a huge smile, feeling tears sting the corners of her eyes.

'I love you too,' she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. She reached up and kissed him, their lips meeting in a passionate embrace that set the seemed to set the world alight. Everything else melted away;every niggling worry and fear she had ever had, every moment of self hatred and doubt over whether she could find happiness. This was it, this was happiness; and it was perfect.

When they finally broke away she almost whimpered in protest, her eyes slowly opening to meet those of her true love, her soulmate. He smiled, and Regina found herself so lost in his eyes that she didn't notice his lips moving.

'What?' she asked dazedly.

'Marry me,' he said again, his smile somehow managing to broaden further. Regina was speechless. She opened her mouth to reply, but somehow the words wouldn't come. One word, in particular, that she knew they both wanted to hear.

'Well?' he teased, stifling a laugh.

'I...' Regina started, but before she could finally take hold of the word that would change their lives forever she felt a strange sensation come over her, as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her head. Her brow furrowed, and Robin's smile slowly began to fade as he noticed her reaction.

'Regina?'

'Mom?' Henry added, stepping closer to the couple. He could tell from the tone of Robin's voice that something wasn't right.

'I...' she tried again, but her words were taken from her as a sharp jolt of pain ripped through her abdomen. A small gasp escaped her lips and she swayed dangerously, though Robin's hold on her arms kept her from falling.

'Regina? What is it?' Robin asked as he struggled to hold her steady, watching the colour drain from her face so that her skin was almost porcelain. She looked up at him, her eyes a mixture of fear and confusion and Robin felt his chest tighten in anticipation.

Regina tried to gather her thoughts and make sense of what was going on, but this task took far more energy than it should have and she couldn't quite figure it out. That was, until her eyes drifted downwards. It was small at first, just a dot no bigger than the head of a pin. It could have been a drop of water or dirt from where she had fallen, a raindrop, anything; but as it began to grow she knew it wasn't.

She watched in awe for a few moments as the bloodstain grew across the fabric of her dress, and only when it was the size of her fist did the panic register. Her eyes grew wide, and when Robin noticed and looked to where her gaze was fixed his heart dropped too. It all happened very quickly.

'Robin,' she choked, not quite able to mask her fear. She couldn't look away her dress slowly coloured scarlet and whatever Robin was trying to tell her fell on deaf ears. Her head felt so incredibly light, as though she were floating on air, and before she could warn him her legs buckled and she fell into Robin's arms.

He caught her with the expertise of a true hero, holding her limp body close and gently kneeling so that she was lying on the ground with her head in his lap.

'MOM?' Henry screamed, the realisation of what was happening slowly dawning upon him. He turned to The Apprentice, who was slowly walking towards them with a solemn expressing.

'Do something!' he cried, turning to the older man. But he simply shook his head.

'I'm sorry,' he said quietly.

'But everything was undone,' Robin argued, 'Regina, Henry, they saved us. We were back to normal.'

'All because of Regina's sacrifice,' The Apprentice reminded them. 'I am afraid that is the price for our return. Without her sacrifice we cannot remain here.'

'Then take us back,' Henry cried, tears spilling down his cheeks. He stepped almost aggressively towards the older man. 'I can write it, can't I? I can change this I'm the author now.'

'Isaac's reality was his alone,' The Apprentice explained. 'It is gone now, forever. But even if we did go back your mother would still perish. I'm sorry, son, this is how it has to be. This is how Regina's story ends, a hero's sacrifice.'

'It's not fair,' argued Henry. 'She works so hard to become a hero and this is the reward she gets? What kind of world is this? What's the point of redemption if the price is your life?'

He broke down, sobs wracking his body, and The Apprentice put a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

'Regina,' Robin whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered open, and when they focussed on his face she smiled sadly.

'N-nearly,' she rasped, finding every world a challenge, 'n-nearly made it.'

Robin shook his head, tears falling from his eyes and splashing on the ground beside her. He held her tightly, though not so much as to cause her pain, and wondered if he just held on for long enough he could keep her here with him.

'No,' he insisted, 'this isn't how it ends. This isn't fair. Can't you use magic? Heal yourself?'

She shook her head almost imperceptibly. 'Tried. Not s-strong enough.'

'We can get the fairies, or Emma; someone can undo this curse, we'll find a way. Don't give up on me.'

'Y-yes,' Regina whispered. Robin looked at her, puzzled.

'What do you mean?'

'Yes I'll m-marry y-you,' she said, and with all of the strength she had left she lifted her arm and placed her cold hand over his. The pain was gone now, replaced with a numbness that took most of her body. Black spots were appearing in the periphery of her vision, but she fought to stay conscious. She had to say goodbye to her son.

'Then stay with me,' Robin pleaded. 'Stay with me and we can get married here, today. Or anywhere you want. Just don't leave me please.'

Regina looked at him with the saddest expression he had ever seen. The fear, of death and dying, was slowly dissipating. She could see how close it was now, close enough to reach out and take hold of, and there was no point in fearing it. It would happen whether or not she accepted it, and she knew that for the sake of Robin and of Henry she had to be strong.

'H-Henry?'

'Mom?' Henry came to himself, dropping to his knees by her side and taking her other hand.

'I'm s-sorry.'

Henry couldn't stop the sob that came. He wanted to be strong for her, but he couldn't do it. He had never imagined that he would lose her, not even in the darkest moments of the past few years. She had died for him, putting herself in the way of the sword meant to strike him down.

'No, I'm sorry. This is all my fault Mom; if I had fought better-'

'No,' Regina cut him off harshly. 'You w-were a hero. You saved us. This is n-no-one's fault.'

'I can't lose you Mom. I can't do it. What do I do?'

'Be strong,' she whispered, her voice hardly moving the air. 'I love you, Henry.'

'I love you too.'

He had an idea. He reached down to kiss her forehead, waiting for the wave of magic to hit them and put everything back to normal; but it never came. True love's kiss wasn't enough. And when he straightened back up, Henry saw that his mother's eyes were closed.

'NO' he screamed, feeling frantically for a pulse he knew he wouldn't find.

'Regina,' Robin breathed, holding her lifeless body close to him and kissing her head one last time. 'I love you.'

'WHY?' shouted Henry, feeling as though the world was crumbling around him. 'WHY DID SHE HAVE TO GO?'

'Because she was a hero,' Robin said sadly, even though the word seemed empty to him now.

* * *

 **Literally an angsty oneshot written in an hour as procrastination so I'm sorry for any errors. Just a little thought that came into my head and I had to get it down.**

 **Reviews appreciated :)**


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